FAFSA deadline and eligibility requirements for 2025-2026 grants and scholarships

The federal FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2026 for the 2025-2026 academic year. BUT - and this is super important - your state and individual colleges often have MUCH earlier deadlines for priority consideration. Some states have February or March deadlines for maximum state aid. Missing these earlier deadlines can cost thousands in potential grants and scholarships! For eligibility, your cousin should definitely apply. With a single parent income of $63k, he could qualify for significant aid. The Pell Grant maximum for 2025-2026 is around $7,500 and is based on financial need. His SAI (Student Aid Index, which replaced EFC) will determine eligibility, and with that income level, he's likely in a good position. Make sure they complete the FAFSA as early as possible after October 1st and apply to schools that offer good financial aid packages. His 3.4 GPA might also qualify for merit scholarships at many schools.

I missed the FASFA deadline last year by 2 WEEKS and it was a DISASTER!!!! Lost like $3000 in grants bcuz my state deadline was in March not June!!! Don't make the same mistake!!!!!

For Michigan, the state priority deadline is March 1, 2026 for the 2025-2026 academic year. If you're looking to maximize your cousin's aid package, you should aim to submit by early November 2025 though. Here's a practical approach: 1. Submit FAFSA immediately after October 1, 2025 opening 2. Check individual college financial aid deadline pages (some have December/January deadlines) 3. Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool on studentaid.gov to get a preview of potential aid With that income level and a 3.4 GPA, your cousin should qualify for some level of need-based aid (possibly Pell Grant) and might qualify for merit scholarships at certain schools. Look for schools that guarantee meeting 100% of demonstrated need - these will provide the best packages.

my sister got like $9k in grants w/ parents making $70k last year so ur cousin def has a shot. but scholarships r mostly from each college, not really from fafsa. tell him to apply to like 8-10 schools & see which 1 gives best $$$

I had so much trouble getting through to the financial aid office about my eligibility for scholarships last year. Kept getting put on hold for HOURS and then disconnected. Finally used Claimyr to get through (claimyr.com) and they connected me with an actual human at the Federal Student Aid office in like 15 minutes. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. It was so worth it to actually talk to someone who could explain my SAI calculation and what grants I was eligible for. Way better than trying to figure it out from the website alone.

dont forget CSS Profile!!! some private colleges require it IN ADDITION to fafsa & it has different deadlines!!!! my son missed out on aid from his dream school bc we only did fafsa & didnt know about css until too late

The CSS Profile is a financial aid application required by about 200 mostly private colleges and universities. It's more detailed than FAFSA and allows schools to assess financial need differently. Not every private school requires it, but many selective institutions do. It also has a fee (unlike FAFSA), though fee waivers are available based on family income. To answer your Michigan question from earlier - yes, March 1 is your state deadline, but many Michigan schools have their own earlier priority deadlines for institutional aid. For example, University of Michigan's priority deadline is typically in February. And regarding eligibility determination - there's no perfect way to predict exactly what you'll get until you receive financial aid award letters. The three main types of aid are: 1. Need-based federal aid (Pell Grants, subsidized loans) - based on your SAI 2. State grants - often have both need and merit components 3. Institutional aid - each school has their own formula With your cousin's stats, I'd recommend applying to a mix of schools including some that are known for generous aid policies.

I'm confused about eligibility for scholarships vs grants. Are they totally different things? My daughter got offered both in her financial aid package last year but I don't understand why some money was labeled scholarship and other was grant?

btw dont forget about work study too! its part of ur fafsa package if u qualify. my roommate gets like $3k/year from that & the campus jobs are super chill, she literally does homework most of her shift lol

BEWARE that if your cousin gets any outside scholarships he HAS TO report them to financial aid office!!! My kid got a $2000 Kiwanis scholarship and didn't tell the school and they found out and REDUCED his aid package by $2000!!!! Said it was "scholarship displacement" which is COMPLETE BS but apparently legal in most states!!!!!

Thank you all SO much for this incredibly helpful information! I've made notes of all the key points: - Submit FAFSA as close to October 1 as possible - Check Michigan's March 1 deadline AND individual school deadlines - Look into the CSS Profile for private schools - Consider work-study opportunities - Be strategic about outside scholarships This has been so much more helpful than the confusing info on the financial aid websites. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!